In a major victory for Nigeria's war against narcotics, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has apprehended 20 Filipino nationals after intercepting a significant consignment of cocaine at the Apapa seaport in Lagos.
Massive Drug Bust at Apapa Port
The operation took place on Sunday, 16 November 2025, when NDLEA officers discovered 20 kilogrammes of cocaine concealed aboard the vessel MV Nord Bosporus. The ship had journeyed from the port of Santos in Brazil before its arrival in Nigeria.
Captain Quino Eugene Corpus, the Master of the vessel, and his 19 crew members were immediately taken into custody. The agency subsequently brought all 20 suspects before the Federal High Court in Lagos for arraignment.
Court Orders and Historical Parallels
On Thursday, 20 November, presiding judge Justice Musa Kakaki granted the NDLEA's request, issuing an initial 14-day detention order for both the vessel and the entire crew to allow for comprehensive investigations.
Preliminary findings revealed that this marked the vessel's inaugural voyage to both Nigeria and the African continent. Prior to this journey, MV Nord Bosporus had primarily been engaged in transporting coal between Colombia and Brazil. Investigators noted that Captain Corpus had only been in command of the vessel for approximately three months.
The NDLEA highlighted striking similarities to a 2021 case where 10 Thai sailors were arrested aboard MV Chayanee Naree for trafficking 32.9 kilogrammes of cocaine, also from Brazil. In that previous incident, the sailors alongside nine Nigerian accomplices were eventually convicted and fined $4.3 million by the Federal High Court in Lagos.
Strong Warning from NDLEA Leadership
NDLEA Chairman, Brig Gen Mohamed Buba Marwa (retd), commended the alertness of officers at the Apapa Strategic Command and the Directorate of Seaport Operations. He described the cocaine seizure as not merely an operational success but a clear demonstration of the agency's enhanced capabilities and unwavering determination.
Marwa issued a stern warning to both international and domestic collaborators in the drug trade, declaring that "Nigeria is not, and will never be, your space or your foothold." He emphasized the agency's zero-tolerance policy, vowing that no illicit drugs would be permitted to pass through Nigeria's borders by air, land, or sea.
The NDLEA boss had particularly harsh words for Nigerians who assist foreign drug syndicates, stating they were not only committing crimes but "betraying your nation's future." He promised severe legal consequences, including the dismantling of criminal structures, seizure of illicit assets, and securing long-term incarceration for offenders.
Related Crackdown in Kano
In a separate but related development, the NDLEA's Kano State Command has taken into custody 230 suspects following a successful 30-day intensive operation against peddlers of illicit substances across various hotspots in the state.
Commander Abubakar Idris Ahmad of the NDLEA Kano Strategic Command disclosed that the operations, which also led to the seizure of large quantities of illicit substances and weapons, were conducted in collaboration with sister security agencies including the Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), and the Department of State Services (DSS).
